Merchandising machine



April 26, 1932. v. E. WHEATCROFT 5,6

MERCHANDI S ING MACHINE Filed Sept. 29, 1928. 4 Sheets-Sheet l gvwentoz April 26, 1932. Q v 5 w c o T 1,855,618

MERCHANDI S ING MACHINE Filed Sept. 29, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 3 anon woe fiaizife A? Weafcra/i @3313 1.01 abtomu wW a. Law.

- April 1932- v. E. WHEATCROFT 1,855,618

& MERCHANDISING MACHINE Filed Sept. 29, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 April 26, 1932- v. E. WHEATCROFT 1,855,618

MERCHANDISING MACHINE Filed Sept. 29, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 :Jvwemtoz k 1 ixieiiz KTWra/uW/ Q LUcm/wn Q Life-8&6.

Patented- Apr. 26, .1932

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VTOLETTE E. WHEATOROFT, 01' WEST NEW BRIGHTON, YORK, ASSIGNOR TO KINNEY BROTHERS, INC IBINGEAHTON, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION 0! NEW YORK IERGHANDISING Application fled September 29, ms. semi-m. $69,244.

This invention relates to coin-controlled vending machines and more particularly to machines that will unfailingly apportion and separate from the supplyreservoir predetermined quantities of the commodity to be m vended and deliver the same accessible to the purchaser.

Heretofore, machines for vending goods from the supply reservoir, particularly when irregularly shaped, for instance unshelled' are not consistent in their operation, due

mainly to the irregular character of the shells of the nuts, which causes them to adhere to the walls of the machine. Also, such machines customarily deliver a specified quantity of goods gradually and it often happens that one of the units sticks in the delivery chute and impairs the efiicient 6peration of the machine.

It is an object of thisinvention to provide a vending machine which is equipped with means to agitate the goods to prevent them from adheringto the walls of the machine. 26 A further object is to provide means for supplying a constant thou h controllable degree of heat-to the goods w on desirable, and in such a manner that the same may be delivered in a heated condition at the moment of vendition. Y

. .A still further object of the invention is the provision of means for delivering a specified quantity of goods at one time, thus obviating the disadvantages of the gradual delivery of the commodity.

In vending machines of the type herein disclosed acoin is used to connect two rotatable members, and it is a further object of the invention to provide means for relieving the strain on a coin while it is employed in such a capacity. I

These and other objects are attained by the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings, constituting a material part of this disclosure, and in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View of the vendingmachine closely'adjacent one of its sides.

Figure 2 is a similar sectional view taken peanuts, have been objectionable in that they K through the discharge chute 22.

ad'acent the front wall view of the machine.

I igure 3 is a view showing details of structure whlch enables a coin to connect the two rotatable members.

Figure 4 shows the strain relieving mechanism n operative osition.

F1gure 5 shows t e strain relieving mechamsm m an moperative position.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a part of the mechanism of a closure device used in the machine.

Figure 7 is a side view of the delivery mechanism.

Figures 8 9 and 10 show further details of the mechanism employed to deliver a specified quantity of goods, Figure 9 being It: sectional view taken on line 99 of Figure Figure 11 is a sectional view taken on line 1111 of Fi re 2, showing the position of a coin just efore it'begins to serve as a coupling between the rotatable members.

Figure 12 shows the position of 'thecoin after'the coupling action has commenced.

Figure 13.is a diagram showing the electric circuit in which a heating coil and incandescent lamp are included.'

Referring to Figure 1, the machine is shown to include a .casing 13 which completely encloses the mechanism. The goods are contained in a four sided receptacle-l4 having an inclined wall 15 and a deflecting ledge 16 which causes the goods to be at all times in position to fall into a delivering compartment 17, which is open at the top and bottom'. An arcuate flap 18, rotatably mounted on a pin 19 and normally urged in a clock wise direction by a spring 20, engages the flange 21 of the compartment 17 and prevents goods from accidentally falling A rod 23 is journalled in the walls of the receptacle 14 and has fixed thereto an agitator 24 which stirs the goods when the machine is operated, Also fixed to rod 23 are bars 2'5 which have their lower ends attached to an arcuate plate 26 having a right angular down-turned end 27. A bolt 28 is journalled in the end 27 and threadedly engages a lug 29 integral with the equally spacedfromtwo other similar arms chute 22 so that the specified wall 2950f themeniBerBO, which is slidable on the late 32 to adjust the position of wall 31sothatthe capacity of compartmentl'? may be regulated. The plate 32. is slidable on the'areuate guide 33 integral with the discharge chute 22.

same time movement of plate 26 causes the bar to'move'to actuate'the agitator 24. When the compartment 17 is in the osition show'n fin'Figure '1, the plate 32 is shd along the guide to cover the chute to prevent the accidental discharge of goods.

' A side wall 34 ofthe compartment 17 at point35 has fixed thereto a hook member 36 to which is attached at 37 one end of a coil spring 38, theother end of the spring being attached to the frame at 39. .A lug 40 on an arm 41 engages the member 36 to move the compartment upward.

, Arm 41 is integral with a sleeve 42 and is integral with the sleeve 42, the latter being rotatable on 'a shaft43, and has three equally spaced slots 44.

- Fixed to shaft 43 is a collar 45 having a lug 46. The brace bar 47 has a collar 48 fixed thereto, the" collar 48 being provided with a flange 49.". An ear .50 is also fixed to the brace bar 47 and supports a shaft 51 which carries at one endan arm 52, normally pulled downwardly by a spring 53 attached to a bracket 54 supported by ear 50. The arm 52 32. (See Figural.)

has a lug 52' at its free end, the lug engaging the arms 41to limit the movement of the arms after one of the arms has been in operation. n

. Attached to flange 49 is a small bracket i 55 u on which are mounted the side members 56 0 a 'coin guide. Pivoted to the'side members at 58 is a rear wall 57 of the guide, the

front wall 59 being fixed to the side members. 7

A weight 60 carried by the wall 57 normally holds that wallinthe position shown in Figure 11. When a coin 61 passes through the I guide, it drops into one of the slots 44 on sleeve 42 and is in a position to be engaged by the lug 46 so that rotation of collar 45 will be transmitted. to sleeve 42.

A lever 62 fulcrumed on a rod 62 is normally urged to rotate clockwise (see Figure 6) by a spring 63 and is provided with an enlarged end 64 adapted to engage the projection 65 on the s'lidable plate 32. When the compartment 17 is moved upward, a projection 66 on the lower end wall 27 moves the projection 65, and plate 32 is thus allowed to be drawn downward by the spring 67 attached to a lug 68 on the lower side of plate jection 65 to hold'the A pair of shafts 69 and 70 are rotatably supported by the casing 13 and are journalled in the ends of a bar 71. Fixed to shaft'69 is an arm 72 integral with a segmental gear 73 which meshes with a segmental gear 7 4 fixed to shaft 70, the latter also having an arm 75 fixed thereto, so that when the gears rotate the arms 72 and 75 move towards or away from each other, depending, of course, on the direction of rotation of the gears. A s ring 76 is connected to arm 72 and to a pin 7 on the bar 71, so that normally thearms 72 and 75 are urged towards'each other.

When the compartment 17 is in its lowermost position, the wall 27 forces arm 72 in a direction opposing spring 76 and the rotation of gears 73 and 74 cause arm 75 to bear against plate 32 and slide it upwards to cover the opening to'the chute 22, thus preventing the accidental dischar e of goods. When plate 32 is in such a position the en-. larged end 64 of lever 62 engages the proplate in the raised position. 1

Fixed to shaft 43 is a collar 78 having a 79 and an arm 80 integral therewith. A bell crank is pivoted at 81 to arm 80 and has a weighted arm 82 which normally holds the bell crank in the position shown in Figure 5. When shaft 43 is rotated com artment 17 is moved upward and the collar 8 is rotated to raise the bell crank to cause arm 83 to strike lug 84 on arm 80 (see Figure 4) and move therewith, after which arm 83 presses on wall 27 and assistsin moving the compartment 17 upward, thus relieving part of the strain on the coin 61 which serves as a couple between collar 45 and sleeve 42.

A rod 85 projects fromlug 79 and during the return of the shaft 43 to its initial position by spring 87 (see Figure 1) which is connected to collar 45 and the casing frame,

the rod 85 strikes a pin 87 projecting from a side wall of the compartment and assists in returning the com artment 17 to its lowermost position, as snown in Figure 1.

During its upward movement, pin 87 ratchets over the teeth 88 of a bar 89 and is thus prevented from accidentally slipping downward. A short bar 90 is attached to bar 89and a toothed rack 91 is pivoted to the lower end of bar 90 so that its end 92 normally engages the lower edge of bar 89. During its downward movement, pin 87 ratchets over the teeth of rack 91, which are oppositely directed to the teeth on bar 89 and the compartment is thus prevented from moving upward until the pin 87 has moved beyond the lower extremity of rack 91.

In operation, the goods from the container 14 fall into compartment 17, which is open at the top and bottom, and rest on plate 32. A coin is dropped into the coin guide andrests between the walls 57 and 59 in a slot 44 of the sleeve 42. When shaft 43 is rotated by a hand crank (not shown) the sleeve 42 will therefore rotate also and cause one of the arms 41 to move the compartment upward,

sliding the goods over plates 32, which at the 5 same time is being slid downward by the action of spring 67 to uncover the opening to chute 22. When the compartment 17 has been positioned over the chute 22, the nuts are-instantly precipitated into the chute and are collected from a suitable receptacle (not shown) on the outside of the casing.

After the goods have been discharged, the spring 86 returns the shaft 43 to its initial position and compartment 17 falls downward by ravity and is further urged downward b the action of rod 85 hearing on pin 87. At tli esame time arm 72 is forced backward causing the gears 7 3 and 74 to rotate to cause arm 7 5 to force the slidable plate 32 to move upward to cover the opening to chute 22.

Movement of the compartment 17 in any direction causes movement of the levers 25 to actuate the agitator 24.

Mounted beneath the inclined wall 15 is an electric heating coil 100, which is in circuit with a pair of incandescent lamps 101 and 102, the latter bein mounted in the lower part of casing 13. he coil and lamps are connected with a source of electric current, and when in operation the coil heats the air in the space 103 between receptacle 14 and casing 13, thus keeping warm the nuts or other goods which may be in receptacle 14. The incandescent lamps illuminate the interior of casing 13 thus adding to the attractiveness of themachine.

The foregoing disclosure is to be regarded as descriptive and illustrative only and not as restrictive or limitative of the invention, of which obviously an embodiment may be constructed, including many modifications, without departing from the general scope herein indicated and denoted in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a vending machine, a discharge chute having a downwardly inclined arcuate guide connected therewith, a plate slidable on the guide and adapted to cover the opening to the chute, a compartment slidably positioned on the plate, said compartment being open at the top and bottom, means to move the compartment upward to a position over the opening in the chute and means to move the plate downward to uncover the opening to the chute.

2. In a vending machine, a compartment for goods, a shaft, means associated with said shaft to move the compartment, a collar fixed to theshaft, an arm integral with the. collar, a bell-crank pivoted to the end of the arm, one arm of the bell crank being weighted, and

a lug on the arm integral with the collar, said lug1 bein engaged by the other arm of the be era when the shaft is rotated, the other arm of the bell crank also bearing against the wall ofthe compartment to assist in moving the latter.

3. In a .vendin machine, a dischar e chute, a slidable p ate adapted to cover t e opening to the chute, resilient means for moving the plate to uncover the opening, a compartment slidable on the plate, means to hold the plate in the opening covering position, and means on the compartment to rendering said holding means ineffective when the compartment ismoved to a position over i the opening to the chute.

In testimony whereof I aflix m signature.

VIOLETTE E. WHEA CROFT. 

